


Let Me Count The Ways

by lovelunarchron



Category: Lunar Chronicles - Marissa Meyer
Genre: Drabbles, F/M, Ficlets, all stories take place within the canon universe, ask prompts, some of them after, some of them in winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 22:28:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 7,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4683683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelunarchron/pseuds/lovelunarchron
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of ficlets or drabbles that resulted from an ask prompt on tumblr. There are a variety of characters and themes, but they all take place within the canon universe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Just kiss me, dammit

Cress was _such_ a tease.

The way she'd been walking around in that little skirt all day was, quite literally, driving him crazy.

Thorne knew it was partially his fault. Hadn't he been telling Cress lately that she was as adorable as a little puppy? It was hard not to—Cress was adorable in every sense of the word. How could he not say things like that around her? When she'd been slightly offended, he'd tried to explain to her that _of course_ he thought she was incredibly sexy too. Their two years together should have proven that by now. He practically worshipped her, didn't he? But he just had to take his dumb comments a step further and tell her that maybe if she just wore a different type of outfit from time to time, "adorable" wouldn't be the first adjective to roll off his lips.

After spending a night on the couch, he'd woken up to Cress in this skirt. He had no idea where it'd come from, but he didn't care. It was his new best friend.

And now she was torturing him. He'd tried all day to get close to her, to take her into his arms, to touch her. She'd brushed him away, batting her eyes oh so seductively while saying "uh-uh, Captain, eyes only."

He'd probably taken three cold showers already.

After dinner, he just couldn't take it anymore. Cress just smirked. "Guess I'm not so adorable after all."

He was sure his face was full of hunger and pain. "Just kiss me, dammit."


	2. Why can't you two just admit it already!?

The thirteenth time they kissed, well, it got a little heated. Cinder's ponytail had come undone and Kai's collar was significantly looser than when they'd first snuck into the engine room. His flushed face and glossy eyes showed her that he'd been enjoying himself quite a bit too. She knew her own appearance didn't give their secret away as much as his did, but her lips were kind of dry and likely just as red as his.

They slipped out of the engine room, ready to part ways, when they ran headfirst into Iko, who was tapping her foot. "Caught in the act again."

Cinder grimaced. Iko had managed to catch them five times already. They were almost used to it. At least by the fourth time her screaming had died down significantly. Nevertheless, it didn't keep them from being any less embarrassed each time it happened.

"Uh, hi Iko," said Kai, already red as usual.

"Why can't you two just admit it already!?" she exclaimed.

Kai and Cinder exchanged glances. "Admit what?" they chorused.

Iko sighed happily. "That you're in love."

"Goodbye, Iko," seethed Cinder. "And remember what we talked about. Unless you want to be a ship again, you'll keep quiet about this."


	3. Just leave me alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An alternate ending to a well-known seen in Scarlet.

["I know you must want nothing to do with me. I don't blame you." Wolf scrunched up his shoulders, and met her with an expression full of regret. "But you're the only one Scarlet. You'll always be the only one." – Marissa Meyer, Scarlet]

Scarlet huffed. "Was that your attempt at an apology?"

Wolf dug his nails into the label from the can and it shredded instantly. "Only part of it."

"Well it's not good enough."

He pierced her with his eyes, full of pain. She was sure hers mirrored his. "Let's be honest, Wolf. We had a great night on the train to Paris. I finally thought I could trust you. But in every moment you've lied and cheated and betrayed me. That's hard to wrap my mind around. I know I'm not dead because of you. If you hadn't killed Ran and managed to fight the thoughts Jael was feeding you, well, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now. I'm grateful for that. But this whole thing between us—it's not okay."

"I know. If you would just give me a chance, Scarlet, maybe I could—"

"Wolf. There's this part of me that wants to open up again and give you another chance, but how am I supposed to do that right now? I won't deny that I like you and that there's something between us"—his eyes lit up with hope, enough to make her wince—"but relationships require trust. And I just don't trust you right now. Or myself around you."

His hand balled into a fist. "What are you saying?" he asked gruffly.

"Maybe for now you should just leave me alone."

"We're stuck on the same spaceship, Scarlet."

"As friends, Wolf," she said softly. "That's all we can be right now."


	4. I don't know what I want

"I don't know what I want."

Kai stared at her, dumbfounded. "Impossible."

Cinder shrugged. "I'm telling you, I've never really thought about it."

"Well, now that you have an entire store in front of you, it's a great time to start thinking about it."

He watched as Cinder took a second look at the displays. She had her pick from every type of jewel that existed. The selection he'd asked the store androids to prepare ahead of time included rings from all over Earth. He had made sure that his future wife would have the exact ring her heart desired. And anything else he could give her. It was one of the perks of being an Emperor.

Cinder laced a hand through his. "I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"But…"

She smiled. "But I just want something simple. Something that reminds me of us."

"Cinder, I couldn't exactly get a shipment of Lunar rocks at last minute."

"You mean you didn't plan your spectacular proposal way ahead of time?"

He knew his ears were turning into their characteristic shade of pink. "Clearly if I hadn't just blurted it out spontaneously I would have prepared by getting you a ring."


	5. I have to tell you something

He was so close to her. His hug was so tight. They hadn't held each other like this for a while. She'd missed it. She just couldn't stop grinning into his shoulder as he rocked her back and forth in celebration. Thorne could finally see again!

She thought she'd be nervous for him to see her, thought maybe he'd be disappointed. But the look on his face when he'd first seen her had said it all. He thought she was _beautiful_. And even more than that, he loved her. She knew it—knew it by the way he was trembling as he held her, knew it by the way he was all nervous and clammy and so un-Thorne-like.

"Cress," he whispered. "Thank you for everything. I wouldn't have gotten through all this without you."

She pulled away from him, smiling, and he released her, choosing instead to cup her face. He lowered himself so that she was almost eye-level. "I—I have to tell you something," he said, his voice still low.

Cress put her arms around him again, and he relaxed ever so slightly. He was staring at her intently with his brilliant blue eyes, like he would never get enough of her. Their faces were so close now. She was getting nervous herself.

"Yes, Captain?" she asked.

"It's just, I..." He hesitated. "I…"

"You…?"

He dropped his hands from her and stuffed them in his pockets. "I just wanted to tell you that I like your hair this way. It's a good look."


	6. I love you

"I'm not really sure how to say this to you," said Thorne, swallowing.

Kai looked at him expectantly. "Say what, Thorne?"

"Well, it's not that I'm not sure _how_ to say it, per se, I mean, I know what I _want_ to say. More like it's _hard_ to say, but that's not the point. The point is that I've been wanting to say this and I've been holding it back for various reasons but—"

"Just tell me."

"It's just…you're amazing. I can't stop thinking about you. You're…well, I love you."

"You're joking," said Kai flatly.

"What?" said Thorne.

"That was _terrible._ Pathetic."

He glared. "It was not."

"You spent a paragraph just stammering incoherently about nothing. Cress is going to burst out laughing before you even have a chance to tell her you love her. Where's your characteristic confidence?"

"I don't see _you_ declaring your love to anyone around here!" he said defiantly. That ought to shut him up.

Kai sighed and held up his hands. "Okay, okay, I can see that maybe it's not as easy as it looks. Let's just run through it again. Elaborate a bit on _why_ you love her. That's important. And maybe cut out the part about why you want to say it or not or whatever. It was weird."

"It only came out weird because you're making me nervous."

"If I make you nervous, what are you going to do around Cress?"

"Aces, you're right," said Thorne, running a hand down his face. "I'm totally screwed."


	7. I can't do this anymore

Jacin stood outside of the Princess' room. Outside of _Winter's_ room. She'd come out to visit with him again, as she always did, keeping him company on his lonely night shifts until he ultimately shooed her away. Now that he'd been stationed as her personal guard, his tortured thoughts strayed to Winter even more than he'd ever thought possible.

He thought about how she might be sleeping—if her thick curls fell across her face or if she brushed them away, if she slept on her back or on her side, if she was dreaming of him.

 _Stars_. He was turning into such a sentimental sap. He knew she was thinking about him. She'd just told him so when she'd visited. Like she did every night. He wanted to be in that room. With Winter. With the girl he'd been in love with for so many years.

"To hell with it," he muttered. "I can't do this anymore."

Jacin burst into her room. Winter shrieked, but he shushed her.

"Is everything okay, Jacin?" she asked, climbing out of bed as he marched towards her.

"Everything is perfect," he said. He reached his Princess and pulled her into a tight embrace, which at first elicited another shriek from Winter, followed by a look of comprehension. Then he kissed her with as much passion as he could muster.


	8. You're hiding something from me

"This soup isn't good, Cress."

"I think it's fine," she said.

"I just don't want you to base your expectations of Earthen food on what you're eating here on the Rampion. Remember that soup Jina made? There's more where that came from, and then some."

Cress remained silent. She was probably thinking about how Jina had betrayed him both. The last thing he wanted was for her to dwell on that again.

"Hey, when we're done with these Lunar shenanigans, I'll cook something for you myself."

"Really?"

"Of course. Nothing like a meal from the Captain." He smiled broadly, making sure to raise an eyebrow for extra effect.

Cress burst out laughing. Thorne laughed too, but a bit uneasily, unsure of what was so funny. This made Cress laugh even harder.

"You don't think I can cook?"

He heard her try to keep it together. "No, I'm sure you can cook just fine. I look forward to it!"

He grinned. "Great!"

Cress laughed again. Thorne folded his arms. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing."

"You're hiding something from me. Out with it."

"It's just—hehe—you have spinach from the soup all over your mouth and in your teeth!"

Thorne's cheeks felt hot as he hurriedly tried to find the napkin on the table. He kept his lips practically pressed together for the rest of lunch.


	9. Stars, not again!

Eyes closed, Kai let his lips graze Cinder's one more time, then let his forehead rest against hers. He was never going to get enough of being near her. She really was the missing piece to his puzzle. All he wanted was—

The door creaked open.

Kai threw up his hands. "Stars, not again!"

Iko peeked her head into the room and giggled. "Thought I might find you here! Ever thought of finding a different location to make-out in?"

Kai missed the days when Iko couldn't do anything but shriek or nearly pass out in his presence. That side of her had been much easier to deal with. Now that he was part of the crew and she had gotten used to the fact that he liked Cinder, well, she'd become a devious little spy. Not to mention quite the nuisance when it came to romance.

"Kai, will you please excuse us?" Cinder's voice was cool and deadly. Kai had learned in the last week that this voice meant that Cinder was not to be trifled with.

"Sure."

As he slipped out of the room, he couldn't help but stage-whisper to Iko: "Good luck as a ship."


	10. It was just for one night

"I'm very much looking forward to your ceremony tonight, my Queen," said Sybil.

"Stop pretending, Sybil. You're not happy about it at all."

Sybil allowed the sadness she'd been hiding to show on her normally cool and restrained face. "You are right, my Queen."

"We're not in public right now, Sybil. You know you may call me Levana."

Sybil dropped onto the bed where Levana was sitting. "Sorry, it's hard to keep track sometimes."

"Once I am Empress, we won't have to hide anymore."

"First we'll have to get rid of the Emperor, though."

"Of course, my dear, of course. All in good time. Just stick to the plan."

Sybil's port chimed, and a disconcerting text alerted her to possible happenings on the palace rooftop. It was something she had to take care of immediately if their plans were to go through untainted. But she couldn't tell Levana about it right now. It was important for her to remain calm. She could be rather terrifying when she wasn't calm. Sybil knew it was mostly for show, but she decided not to push her luck and excused herself.

She thought about the upcoming ceremony as she practically sprinted in the direction of the rooftop. No, she wouldn't be jealous. After all, it was just for one night. Levana would stay with Kai, as expected, and then she would come back to Sybil. She always did.


	11. Do you trust me?

"I'm dying, Cress."

Her voice shook as she slid a hand through his matted hair, trying to calm him. "It's a bad wound, and it's probably going to need more than just some stitching, but you're not dying, ok?"

"All I see is blood."

She had to admit that it did look quite bad. It was lucky that Wolf had managed to fight off one of the Queen's new soldiers before he could tear Thorne's leg off completely. The feral creature had left quite the gash.

"I'm going to clean it with anti-septic first, and then try to sew it up. All I have is what's left from the med kit."

"I wish I could hold your hand," he said. "You know how squeamish I am."

She did, and she wished that too. "We have to get started," she said instead.

He gritted his teeth in pain as she tried to wash out the wound. Cress knew this was only the beginning, though.

She raised the needle with a shaky hand and tried to steady herself. "Okay, Thorne. I'm going to begin now. Do you trust me?"

He winced but nodded. She bent herself over his leg as he squeezed his eyes shut.


	12. That summer seemed to last forever

Sleeping in. Laying in the fields. Picking wildflowers between rocks. Gazing up at stars. Swimming in little riverbeds. Spending time relaxing in nature. Planting seeds and picking new crops. Laughing.

Scarlet and Ze'ev couldn't have been happier with the first summer they spent together on the Benoit Farm after the Lunar Revolution.

Because they were together, and that was all that mattered.

Ze'ev's chest wounds had finally healed completely. Scarlet had gotten used to her new cyborg finger. But more importantly, their emotional scars were beginning to fade. Everything that had happened over the last year seemed like a distant memory. They were out of harm's way, and they simply began to enjoy life and each other.

That summer seemed to last forever.


	13. The picture in the advertisement had lied

"You've got to be kidding me."

Cinder turned to face him, and Thorne tried desperately to hold back a laugh as he took in her appearance. The picture in the advertisement had lied. Her dress was ridiculous.

"You're…stunning…Your Maj—" He burst out laughing. This was priceless. It would go down in the history of pricelessness.

Hands on her hips, she gave him death stares while he whipped out his portscreen. "Smile for Kai!"

Cinder did not smile. Instead, she decided that this was an opportune time to punch him, because the next moment he found himself gasping for air as she knocked the wind out of him with her titanium fist.

"Not—fair!" he said, clutching at his side.

"You picked this dress! This is your fault!"

"Cinder, I'm offended on so many levels. As if I would pick that… _thing_. This is clearly the wrong dress. Maybe they messed up the order."

"I look like a five-year-old _clown_."

Thorne stifled another laugh, afraid of her hitting him again. "Let's comm the store. I'm sure they can send a replacement."

"Better yet, ask for a replacement _friend_ who won't pick ridiculous outfits for me because he claims his fashion sense is so great and I've been too 'sheltered in grease' for my whole life. Or did I not quote you correctly on that?"

"So I made a mistake on this one," he said weakly, but then brightened. "Can I at least still get to pick out the tiara some day?"


	14. All he wanted was to see her smile one more time

His legs burned and his lungs screamed for air. He had to get back to the safe house. Immediately. If only he could make it there in time, then he could give her the help she needed. He knew the lunar guards were not far behind him, though. He had a small lead, but it was taking everything he had to stay ahead of them.

Thorne cradled her in his arms and tried to talk to her to keep her awake, but sometimes his voice just came out as a gasp. Cress' eyes were closed, but she still grasped her hand around his pinky—a sign that she was holding on. He pushed forward, trying not to think about the grip loosening. He rounded a corner a bit too roughly, and Cress' face scrunched up in pain. It almost debilitated him. All he wanted was to see her smile one more time.

"Don't worry," he said. "We're almost there. Just stay awake with me, okay? I'm going to get you there." He set his jaw. "I'm going to be your hero."

Cress believed in him, didn't she? She always had. He would save her. She was going to be fine. _They_ were going to be fine.

He clutched her closer to him."I love you, Cress. I love you. I love you. I love you." He repeated it over and over as much as he could between breaths. "I love you so much."

A tiny squeeze of his pinky gave him the strength he needed to continue running.


	15. I love Cinder, my Empress, my wife, my friend...

"That's why we believe this new initiative will implement the changes we need to see not only in the Eastern Commonwealth, but on Earth as a whole. Thank you. I'll open it up to questions now."

Kai exhaled and pointed to a reporter in the back, a middle-aged woman who looked like she could use a little bit of attention.

"Emperor Kaito, how do you respond to recent rumors regarding the Empress?"

Kai furrowed his brow. "Forgive me if I don't keep up with the tabloids. This press conference is related to Act 25039 between the Earthen Union. Next question please." He nodded to a young man in the middle this time.

"So it's not true that the Empress is having an affair with Carswell Thorne, with whom she was recently seen cavorting?"

Kai laughed. "I beg your pardon?"

"Considering their long history together stemming from the time they were fugitives, would you ever consider leaving her if the rumors turned out to be true?"

"Let me be very clear," he said, sighing. "The rumors are not true. Carswell Thorne is a dear friend to both of us, and a happily married man. Furthermore, I love Cinder. She's my Empress, my wife, my friend, and the mother of my kids. I wouldn't be who I am without her. I don't appreciate anyone trying to taint her name. That will be all."

He stepped away from the podium and rolled his eyes once the cameras couldn't see him do so anymore. Cinder and Thorne? What a joke. They'd all get a kick out of that one later.


	16. I'm not so sure about that

"Well," said Cinder, "I guess I can't attest to how you'll feel right after the operation, but in the end it's not so bad. Maybe you can even get some projectiles like me."

Scarlet nodded, considering. "I like the sound of that. Could be even more useful than my gun."

Wolf shook his head fervently. "I'm not so sure about that. In fact, I'm not even sure this operation is a good idea."

"Wolf!" said Scarlet a little too harshly. "I'm not going to go around without a pinky for the rest of my life. Don't you want me to be…whole?"

The look on his face was haunting, and she instantly felt bad. "Sorry."

"Of course I want you to be whole. And it's your choice, you know that. But I don't want you to spend the rest of your life discriminated against. Look at how Cinder's life has been."

"Thanks," said Cinder dryly.

Scarlet reached up to touch her favorite scar on his face. "You worry too much. I'm a Benoit. When has discrimination ever stopped me?"

"This is different than people thinking you're crazy," he said, but his eyes had softened. "I want you to have everything in life, not just half of something."

She surprised him with a kiss. "I'll never have half of anything as long as I have you."


	17. Stop acting like that

"My chocolately-brown eyes are so _heavenly_ I just can't keep the girls away from me."

Kai watched, annoyed, as Thorne strutted around in his best—and most horrible—impression of Kai. As if he walked like that. " _Stop_ acting like that," he said to Thorne.

Thorne ignored him. "They all just want my throne," he mocked, "and it hurts my feelings. I only have eyes for Cinder, though. But she's the Lunar Heir! Oh stars, what will I do?" He sighed dramatically.

Kai jumped off the crate. Two could play this game. "Oh look at me, look at me," he drawled in an over-exaggerated American accent. "I'm _Captain_ Carswell Thorne. All I have to do is wink at a girl and she'll probably swoon because I'm really just _that_ handsome and charming." Thorne smirked, his arms crossed. Kai wasn't finished though. "Oh, but woe is me, none of those swooning girls do it for me anymore because I'm actually in love with _Cress_ but can't admit-"

"Ahem."

Kai and Thorne both turned in the direction of the entrance to the cargo bay, startled. "It's Cinder," he whispered to Thorne.

Cinder put her hands on her hips. "Okay boys, I think it's time we give you some more chores to do on the Rampion. Clearly you have _way_ too much free time."


	18. She whimpered as he touched her

Kai struggled against the metal bindings that held him in place on a chair in the throne room. Where were the others? Why hadn't they shown up yet? His wrists were turning raw with blood from his desperate efforts to free himself. No one paid him any attention though. The thaumaturges weren't even bothering to control him anymore. All of their attention was focused on Cinder. While Cinder's glamour was strong, she was no match for ten top-tier thaumaturges.

He could only watch helplessly, his own tears of despair streaming down his face, as Cinder screamed and writhed on the floor as they tortured her.

"That's enough."

Levana stood up from her throne. Cinder's screaming ceased, but Kai could tell that they were all still keeping her from putting up any resistance. She nodded at the smug-looking thaumaturge that Kai had met in the Eastern Commonwealth. "Aimery."

Aimery squatted in front of Cinder. He pulled out a knife, studied it, and then ran the blade over Cinder's skin. She whimpered as he touched her.

"Leave her alone!" he yelled.

Aimery smiled a big toothy grin. "Your Majesty! Thanks for joining in our fun. You see, what we normally do here is allow the perpetrator to carry out his or her own punishment."

He passed Cinder the knife. She pursed her lips in concentration, but eventually her hand was forced to accept it.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut and prayed as hard as he could. _Please, someone save her._


	19. Will you sing for me?

Cress heard a somewhat melodic sound coming from the bathroom. She was too shy to walk in, lest there be a boy in there—and being on the Rampion with three boys made that possibility very high—so she just stood near the door listening. Heat crept up her cheeks as she realized that she had caught Thorne singing in the shower.

She giggled to herself behind the hand she held over her mouth. He was actually quite tone deaf, to say the least. It was adorable though, and that was an adjective that she had never really associated with Thorne before. Rather, it was one he sometimes used for her.

She waited for what seemed like forever in the hallway until he exited the shower. Cress stayed silent until he had found his cane and began walking towards his room. She took a deep breath, mustered up all her courage, then called out: "Captain, will you sing for me?"

Thorne tripped and nearly slammed into the wall.


	20. Keep your hands off Cinder

Kai and Benedict stood side by side as more Lunar rebels lined up to receive their weapons. They watched as Scarlet used the checklist that Benedict had provided indicating everyone he had contacted since his early days of stirring up resistance against Queen Levana. Kai, a little bored by the monotony, let his eyes sweep the room until they found Cinder, who was listening to a little girl talk excitedly. She bent down to scoop up the girl in her arms and then twirled her around several times. The girl shrieked with joy. Cinder put her down, showing off a smile that Kai had not seen for days, and began to pull back the hair that had become loose while spinning.

Benedict whistled. "Just look at her."

Kai, startled by how caught up he'd been in observing Cinder, turned his attention swiftly back to Benedict. "What?"

Benedict nodded in the direction where Kai had been looking just seconds before. "My future queen. She is _fine_."

He whistled again and let his eyes roam up her body just long enough to make Kai's temper flare. Benedict was a decent guy, and he felt that they'd come to respect each other in the last week, but his comment was rude. Was it not obvious that Kai and Cinder were together? Maybe he needed to talk to her about not hiding their PDA all the time.

"I mean, stars be damned," Benedict continued, clearly unaware of Kai's struggle to remain professional. "She's hott even without her glamour. And _with_ her glamour, well…on Luna we have expressions for things we'd like to do to women who look like that, if you get my drift. And what I wouldn't—"

"She's _mine_ ," said Kai angrily.

Benedict looked taken aback. "Your Majesty?"

"So keep your hands off Cinder," he decided to add, for good measure. "I saw her first."


	21. You're not that great

Jacin had been grilling him with questions for what seemed like hours. At first Kai had appreciated someone being protective of Cinder, but Jacin had clearly taken the entire interrogation thing to a whole new level. Kai assumed that it was because Cinder—Selene—was Winter's cousin and favorite person in the world, and Winter was Jacin's favorite person in the world. Therefore, by default, Jacin had to care about Cinder's well-being just as much as Winter did. Only Jacin had a different way of showing it. Kai was practically being bullied, in his opinion. The sweat on his forehead was proof of it.

He cut off Jacin's last question before he could finish it. " _Jacin_ , as much as I appreciate what you're trying to do here, I think my credentials as the Emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth speak for themselves. I promise you Cinder will be in good company."

Jacin frowned at him. "You're not that great, you know."

"I wasn't implying that I was _great_ —"

"We had a certain queen who was quite the opposite of good company," said Jacin snidely. "Just in case you've already forgotten."

"Fine," said Kai. He began to tick off on his fingers. "I'm kind, I'm loyal, I'm sensitive, I'm fair, I'm romantic, and I'm even somewhat funny. Oh and I'm completely in love with Cinder, in case you haven't noticed, and I would never do anything to hurt her. Ever. But I suppose it doesn't matter what I say, because I'm obviously never going to be good enough."

A slow smile spread to one corner of Jacin's mouth. "Well at least you finally admitted it."


	22. 217-221

"And then, he said I was getting chubby."

Scarlet pecked him on the lips before pushing him back down. He grunted, and when he came up again she noticed the faintest bead of sweat finally beginning to form by his hairline.

She locked her heels tighter around his, but didn't deny him the next kiss. "I can't believe you let him get to you," she said, this time pushing against him with all her might. "Although," she teased, just because it was fun to frazzle him, "I did wonder if you'd been sneaking sweets on the Rampion when you first showed up at the menagerie."

This time, he paused completely, halting in front her, his lips hovering just inches away. She would have smirked, but she wanted her 219th kiss just as much as she'd wanted the first.

"I'm genetically modified to eat all the time and still build muscle," he growled playfully.

She put her hands on his chest, ready to shove him down again. "If that were true, you wouldn't need to be working out right now."

She pushed, her arms more tired than his abs, apparently, because he just exhaled and contracted them. Her eyes left his as if on cue and watched them turn into an ironboard. No, he was definitely not getting chubby, but his determination to prove otherwise was adorable.

And doing wonders for her desire to keep kissing him.

Hundreds of kisses wouldn't even begin to make up for the time they had lost because of Sybil, and might lose before they had defeated Levana. On their 220th kiss, Scarlet wrapped her arms around him so he wouldn't go back down for another sit-up. "Jacin is just always in a bad mood. He knows there's no fat on you."

"I know," said Wolf. "I just wanted to tell you about my day. I used to only be able to talk to your memory."

"Shh," said Scarlet, running a finger along his jaw. "I'll be here even when you really do get fat."

He huffed, breaking away from her and lowering his back to the floor again. He came back up, eyes already closed in anticipation. "221," he breathed.

Her eyes fluttered shut as the warmth of his lips met hers again. When they broke away, both lingering with want, she raised an eyebrow in challenge. "Is that all you got, Special Operative?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not supposed to be a parallel to Ch. 4 of Winter with Cinder counting Kai's kisses. The numbers refer to how many sit-ups Wolf has done, and each time he completes a sit-up he gets a kiss.


	23. I am rather attached to my nose

How is it that I only end up in situations like this with you?" said Cinder.

"Clarification. _I_ only end up in situations like this with you," said Thorne. "And if my memory serves me right, you got yourself in jail without my help, thank you very much."

Cinder gritted her teeth. Thorne's energy radiated off of him, familiar to her as much as anyone else in the crew by now, but surprisingly, there wasn't a hint of nervousness in it. His energy was still open and calm. Apparently being tied together in a dark room wasn't something he needed to worry about.

"How are you not freaking out right now?" she asked.

His shoulders lifted against her back, probably in a shrug. "What's the point in freaking out? I'm with Princess Selene." Thorne's body began to shake in laughter, irritating her even more.

"Why don't you stop laughing and start thinking of a way to get us out of this mess?"

"Already on it."

He pulled on their binds, and she was yanked so close to him she could feel the shoulder blades flexing in his back. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I'm going to try to move forward abruptly, and you're going to propel yourself on my back and try to flip us over onto the ground. That might loosen the binds a bit and you can use your magic finger to cut us loose."

She grimaced. It wasn't a terrible idea, but it would likely be painful. "Magic isn't—"

"Yeah, yeah, let's go."

He yanked her again, so hard she thought her arms might rip out of their sockets, and as he bent forward she tried to kick her legs against the chair she was tied to. It didn't work as she expected, but the room around her tilted upward as they did, in fact, fall to the ground. Actually, it was more like _Thorne_ fell to the ground, face first, with a crack and a painful groan. They remained bound together by their chairs and binds, back to back. Only now, she was lying on top of Thorne, neck dangling back as she faced the ceiling. It was not optimal.

"Great stars above and spades below!" said Thorne. Unlike before, his energy was panicked and wild.

"It's okay, Thorne, you didn't pass out so hitting your head didn't do any damage." She tried to be comforting. "You're not going to go blind again. Just slide us to the side so you're not carrying all my weight."

"Blind!? Blind!? I'm not worried about going blind right now!" His panic spiked up several notches, almost making Cinder panic herself, except she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be panicking about. "My _nose_ , Cinder! It's bleeding! What if it's… _broken_?" He whispered the last word as though he had seen a ghost.

Cinder squirmed in her chair, her neck getting stiff from her prone position. The ropes that held them together were cutting off the circulation in her arms. "You're worried about your nose? Noses are easily fixable!"

"I am rather attached to my nose," he seethed. Then she felt a new wave of determination mix in with his panic. "Fine. I'm going to flip us now. Hopefully _you_ don't have any precious parts you're attached to."

With a few grunts and mutterings to the likes of "if only you knew how heavy your cyborg parts are", Thorne managed to tilt them until Cinder slammed into the ground with her side too. After the initial shock of pain jolted through her, she realized that she wouldn't even need to use her knife to cut through the binds, as they had already loosened enough. They shook off the ropes and jumped to their feet, Thorne immediately inspecting his nose.

"We'll deal with your nose later," she said. "We have to first go find the others."


	24. You really should smile more

"You're so boring," said Thorne, but Jacin didn't even acknowledge him.

He had his signature statue-like expression plastered on his face, which Winter had learned to recognize as one he used when he was guarded and didn't trust the person with whom he was speaking. Winter also knew that he really didn't trust anyone these days. She missed the times when she and Jacin ran alongside each other on the beach, laughing so hard until they were out of breath. Those days were long gone now, replaced only by fear and secrecy. Doubt clouded every aspect of their interactions recently.

"Even when we thought you were a traitor, you were still a boring traitor. Now that we know you're on our side—"

"—I'm on Selene's side," said Jacin icily. "Not yours."

"Selene's side is our side," said Thorne matter-of-factly, which made Winter want to giggle despite herself. She was having trouble not laughing whenever she was around Captain Carswell Thorne, who never seemed bothered by the chaotic state of their entire rebellious situation. It was hard not to find the disparity between the two of them humorous. "As I was saying, now that you're on our side, you should really think of displaying your personality more."

"Because I want to be just like you and your _galactic_ personality," Jacin mocked.

"I'm sure Winter loves the charismatic man who must be hidden somewhere deep inside there." Thorne and Jacin stared at each other before Thorne added, "Very deeply hidden, clearly."

Winter couldn't help it; she burst into a fit of giggles as Thorne walked away. Jacin, still sourly, relaxed slightly at the sight of her. She waited for the other signature look—the one that he only reserved for her. Bright eyes and her favorite sunrise when he smiled.

It didn't come, though, and she frowned.

"I'm not boring," he said suddenly. "I just don't want to talk to that idiot."

"I didn't say you were boring, Jacin."

"You clearly want to say something."

She considered. "Stay the way you are. I know your personality, and that's what matters to me."

His jaw unclenched slightly. "But?"

"But…you really should smile more."

His lips only quirked halfway upwards. He nodded his head towards the others. "Come on, Trouble. Let's get through this day and then maybe we can both trade some smiles."


	25. If love is blind...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An alternate ending to a well-known scene in Cress.

_["I'm honestly not sure I would recognize real love if it was…"_

_She swiped the back of her hand over her damp cheeks. "If it was what?"_

" _Nothing." Clearing his throat, Thorne leaned his head against the back of the chair.- Marissa Meyer, Cress]  
_

They were both silent for a while. Cress watched Thorne scrunch up his face, then shake his head.

"Well," said Cress, sniffing one more time, "I'll just—"

"No," said Thorne. He sat back up, practically squirming in his chair. "Not nothing." He reached out his hand to her, and she took it, still feeling a bit shaky. The warmth of his hand had comforted her so many times in the desert, and especially now, after everything they'd been through, it was still the closest thing that felt like home.

"Thorne?" she asked, when he paused again.

"I was going to say ' _I'm honestly not sure if I would recognize real love if it was standing right in front of me_.' But then I realized that in order to recognize something standing in front of you, you have to actually be able to see." His voice became bitter. "And I'm blind. It was just something stupid I was going to say, really, but at the end of the day, you can see my point. What could I possibly know about real love?"

Cress took a deep breath. She ran her thumb along his palm, meaning to be reassuring, but the way he inhaled just as sharply as she did made her think that maybe she wasn't the only one who had felt a jolt of electricity run up her arm. She closed her eyes and did it again, imagining what it would feel like to not be able to see someone else in front of you, staring at you lovingly, touching you.

He had been blind on the rooftop palace, but he had still managed to kiss her. He had been blind in the desert, but he had still managed to keep her strong. He had been blind when she had been kidnapped, and he had still found her. And he was blind _now_ , and maybe he couldn't see her, but she wanted to believe that what they shared was the real love they were talking about. It wasn't the same delusional love that she had fantasized about in the desert when she'd barely known him. It was a series of experiences, conversations, and interactions that made her love him earnestly; it had led them to this moment now.

And she thought, or maybe just wanted to believe, that maybe he was just too shy to tell her, now that he'd finally fallen in love with her too. So even though she was still a bit bleary-eyed, tired, and emotionally overwhelmed from the day's events, Cress decided to put on her courage one last time.

"If love is blind, then maybe a blind person that loves has a greater understanding of it. And I think you've shown me how to understand it too, Captain. You're so full of love it takes me by surprise every time we're together."

He gripped her hand tightly. "You think so?"

"I think maybe…the only thing you're blind to are your own feelings," she added, albeit less confidently. "Surely…surely you must know mine."

She waited. And waited, counting heartbeats and trying not to convince herself that she'd made a mistake.

-o-

_[The hall opened into a huge metal room, cluttered with plastic storage crates. Through a doorway he saw the lights and instruments of a cockpit, and another breathtaking view of Earth. Two people were seated in the cockpit chairs as he approached. - Marissa Meyer, Cress]  
_

More specifically, in one cockpit chair. A petite girl with cropped blonde hair and an expensive looking dress sat in the lap of none other than Carswell Thorne. He had his hands tangled in her hair, and she had her arms wrapped around his neck. They were kissing _very_ passionately.

He shouldn't have expected less of one of New Beijing Prison's most infamous fugitives.

Kai cleared his throat very loudly. They broke apart, lips red, breathing heavily. The girl's face flushed as she quickly tried to jump off of Carswell Thorne's lap, only to have her dress wrap around his legs and almost cause the both of them to fall out of the chair. Now practically crimson from embarrassment, the girl managed to right herself into a standing position. Her eyes were wide as she curtsied.

"Where's Cinder?" he demanded.


End file.
